Woodworking
cutting optimizer
Oak, pine, plywood, MDF — reduce waste and maximize yield on every woodworking project.
Start optimizingIn short
CutOptim is a browser-based cutting optimizer for woodworkers: it turns a parts list and your board sizes into a cutting plan that wastes less material. It honours grain direction and blade kerf, keeps usable offcuts for the next job, and every plan is a guillotine sequence your panel saw can actually run.
Why does so much good board end up as offcuts?
Planning cuts by eye or from a sketch leaves strips and corners that no part will ever fit. The more different part sizes a job has — a kitchen easily has dozens — the harder it is to see the layout that wastes least, and a board you buy but cannot use is money you do not get back.
How does CutOptim cut wood waste?
Our algorithm accounts for grain direction, blade kerf, and available stock sizes. 2D panel optimization with guillotine cuts ensures every plan is immediately executable in the workshop.
Industry at a glance
Grain direction
Decide per-part whether rotation is allowed. Essential for oak and walnut veneers.
Offcut inventory
Store usable offcuts and automatically reuse them in the next project.
PDF cutting plan
Printable, workshop-ready cutting plan with a single click.
How does it work?
- 1
Enter boards and parts
Type or paste your board sizes and the parts list, or import a CSV from your design software. Mark the parts whose grain must not turn.
- 2
Run the optimizer
CutOptim lays the parts out on as few boards as it can, with your blade kerf between them, and draws every board.
- 3
Cut from the plan
Print the PDF cutting plan or export it as CSV (and DXF with a free account). Usable offcuts go into the inventory for the next job.
Common use cases
Real-world scenarios where cutting optimization makes the biggest difference.
Kitchen cabinets
Optimizing melamine-faced MDF panels for upper and lower cabinets, drawer fronts, and shelves. Grain direction matters for visible surfaces.
Shelving systems
Cutting plywood for adjustable shelving units and bookcases. Multiple identical parts make optimization especially effective.
Flooring installation
Solid hardwood or engineered boards cut to length for floor fitting. 1D optimization along the board length.
Built-in wardrobes
Complex projects with dozens of parts: sides, tops, bottoms, dividers, and back panels. CSV import from design software saves retyping.
A kitchen needs 47 parts in 8 sizes (side and bottom panels, shelves, rails, doors and drawer fronts) cut from 2500×1250 mm birch plywood, kerf 3 mm; sides, doors and drawer fronts keep their grain direction. "Before" is the same job cut one size at a time; "After" is CutOptim mixing the sizes on each sheet. Both results come from the optimizer itself, for this one job.
One job, not an average. Measured results across many jobs:Benchmarks
Common woodworking materials
| Material | Standard sizes | Kerf | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) | 2800×2070, 2440×1220, 3050×1220 mm | 3.0–3.5 mm (circular saw) | No grain direction — rotation always allowed for maximum yield |
| Plywood (Birch/Pine) | 2500×1250, 2440×1220, 1525×1525 mm | 3.0–3.5 mm | Face grain runs along the length — set rotation constraints per part |
| Melamine-faced chipboard | 2800×2070, 2620×2070 mm | 3.5–4.0 mm (scoring saw) | Mark the banded edges per part — the tape is totalled by type; plan the size the board really has to be cut to |
| Solid hardwood (Oak, Walnut) | Boards: 2000–3000mm × 100–300mm wide | 2.5–3.5 mm | Use 1D mode for board optimization along the length |
What does CutOptim not do?
- It plans the cuts; it does not run a saw or a CNC. DXF carries the piece outlines, not toolpaths or G-code.
- The panel modes make guillotine cuts. Parts with curves or free shapes belong to the Nesting mode, where you import their outlines.
- Edge banding is totalled as exact geometry with no allowance — add your own margin to the tape order.
Automate it — the Engine API
Panel cutting is a 2D problem, and the same engine that runs here in your browser is available over HTTP. Your software sends the parts and the sheet stock as JSON and gets back the full layout, the guillotine cut plan and the yield — and, if you ask, an SVG or DXF of the drawing inline in the response.
- ✓The cut plan is a real guillotine sequence — executable on a panel saw, not just a picture.
- ✓Ask for include: ["svg","dxf"] and the drawing comes back inline — no storage, no second call.
- ✓Deterministic: the same request always returns the same layout, so quotes and re-orders are reproducible.
POST /v1/optimize/2d
{
"parts": [{ "w": 600, "h": 400, "qty": 8 }],
"stock": [{ "w": 2440, "h": 1220, "qty": 20 }],
"options": { "kerf": 3 },
"include": ["svg"]
}Frequently asked questions
How does CutOptim handle grain direction in woodworking?+
What kerf value should I use for my table saw?+
Can I reuse leftover material from previous projects?+
How do I import my parts list from a design program?+
What is guillotine cutting and why does it matter?+
Related
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2 free runs without an account, then 3 a month with a free account
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